Benitez plots Mata swoop

The Spaniard has surprisingly lost his place in the starting line-up under Jose Mourinho, with the Portuguese manager hinting the player no longer had a place in his first team plans.

And even if the Blues are adamant Mata is not for sale, the fact he didn’t even make the bench in weekend’s victory over Fulham is enough to suggest that the Spain international could be leaving in January.

According to Daily Mirror, Napoli boss Rafael Benitez is keen to get reunited with the player and is prepared to pull all the stops to lure him to Stadio San Paolo.